Guns N' Roses thunder through Boston Garden show

There was a time when neither of those descriptions would have made sense, but Sunday night at TD Garden in Boston, before a capacity crowd of about 19,000 fans both were fairly accurate. GNR played for nearly three-and-a-half hours, encompassing 32 songs and several more fragments.

Perhaps most interesting, the show started at just about the 7:30 p.m. time listed on the tickets, and the set list included, officially, eight covers, although that number didn’t account for a lengthy and quite lovely rendition of “Layla” with Rose on grand piano, or a serious dose of the Allman Brothers’ iconic “Melissa” with lead guitarist Slash on acoustic guitar, or Slash’s re-working of “Johnny B. Goode,” or even the brief quote from Jimi Hendrix’ “Voodoo Chile” that Slash used to punctuate the racing finish of “Civil War.”

Guns N’ Roses did include eight songs from their classic debut album, 1987’′s “Appetite for Destruction,” five from 2008′’s “Chinese Democracy,” and four each from the “Use Your Illusion Volume 1″ and “Volume 2.” But those covers were surprising and mostly tasteful, from a rollicking singalong of Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door,” to a hypnotic rock take on “Speak Softly, Love,” (aka “The Godfather Theme”), to a respectfully subdued “Wichita Lineman.”

And beyond a doubt, the septet’s version of Paul McCartney and Wings’ “Live and Let Die” was one of the night’s most exciting moments. There’s nothing wrong with spicing up a set list with some classics, but it really did seem like Guns N’ Roses was trying to make the night as much casual jam session as much-awaited return of (most of) the original lineup. The Most Valuable Player in that respect would have to be Slash, as his inventive lead lines, crackling tone, and real mastery of nuance amid all that thunder, really added new dimensions to all of those covers.

Rose himself proved to a most versatile vocalist, and if he may not have hit every high note, he did sound like he has plenty of power left in the voice, at 55, and he strode, and even ran around the stage with tireless abandon. Bassist Duff McKagan is the third original member reunited on this, the Not In This Lifetime Tour, which started back in June 2016 and has been immensely popular. But McKagan’s steady foundation, and his own melodic thunder are also indispensable parts of the band, and his vocal on the Misfits cover, “Attitude,” showed why his own solo efforts have been very worthy entries in rock-since-GNR.

Just to back up a bit, after the mega-success of that ‘87 debut, which sold upwards of 30 million albums, and spawned the number one single “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” the original quintet rode high for a few years, until their own excesses began to interfere. Shortly after the tour for the “Use Your Illusion” albums in 1994, the band split apart due to internal conflicts and Rose’s inability to show up on time. By 2001, Rose had acquired rights to the name, and began sporadic touring with a new lineup, even as original members Slash, McKagan, and Izzy Stradlin were fronting their own groups. When GNR was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, Rose wouldn’t attend and asked to be excluded.

But gradually all that previous bad feeling has been settled, or at least lessened. When Slash and McKagan agreed to this tour, GNR fans were ecstatic to see most of the original lineup, augmented by Richard Fortus on second guitar – who’s been with the band since 2002, Dizzy Reed, a fixture on keyboards since 1990, Frank Ferrer on drums since 2006, and Melissa Reese, who joined on keyboards last year.

Guns N’ Roses sound was always a heady concoction, blending in hard rock and heavy metal elements, but also investing it with some punk-rock intensity, and the kind of operatic arrangements that suggested more than a bit of prog-rock heritage too. Sunday’s concert had all of those flavors, and they worked well in most cases, save for an occasional extended coda going too long.

The wide-open feel of the stage was a plus, with three neon-lighted staircases leading up to the drum riser, which was flanked by the two keyboardists. There was also a level above that, where Rose, Slash, Fortus, and McKagan each had their moments looming over everyone. Six large fire jets on the platform added blasts of flame to punctuate several songs. The video screens, three of them arranged in a semi-circle, showed various videos, photos, and color patterns throughout.

Early numbers like “Mr. Brownstone” and “Chinese Democracy” got the night rolling, but things really took off with “Welcome to the Jungle,” as Rose, who started in a flannel shirt but soon stripped down to a black T-shirt with the flannel wrapped around his waist, galloped around the stage. Rose is no longer the lean panther he was 30 years ago, but his paunch didn’t seem to limit his stage energy, and his array of hats – at least five – gave him the look of a cagey riverboat gambler.

One of the first tunes to evoke that prog-rock spirit was the power ballad “Estranged,” where Dizzy Reed’s piano solo was marvelously evocative, before the 10-minute long opus kicked up into a fiery finish. Rose’s impressive vocal yowl added new layers to “Live and Let Die,” giving the old chestnut a new veneer of desperate rebellion. “Rocket Queen” featured both guitarists, as Slash in his trademark top hat and a Texas Chainsaw Massacre tank top, played a spacey solo through vocoder, while Fortus, who looks like he escaped from the Rolling Stones, provided a more conventional if no less intriguing hard rock solo.

The thundering “Coma” was kind of cliched, but the way Slash and the band took that “Theme from the Godfather” from quiet guitar solo to full-blown rocker made it one of the most unforgettable moments. Rose’s vocal heights on “Sweet Child O’ Mine” may not have been as high as prime Axl, but with most of the crowd singing along loudly, it hardly mattered.

Slash was on that upper level of the stage, with a double-necked guitar, for his exquisite take on Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here,” another indelible instrumental. But meanwhile a grand piano had been wheeled out to the front of the stage and Rose played a stellar rendition of “Layla,” with the band joining in, and Slash delivering his own interpretation of Eric Clapton’s classic. Rose stayed at the piano for his own “November Rain,” as videos of a storm played on the videos screens – instead of rain, the clouds were producing rose petals – and that power ballad really connected with the audience.

Slash was back on the double-neck axe for “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door,” and amid another mass sing-along, he uncorked a heartbreaking solo. Fortus would also add his own solo to that tune, bending his notes superbly, as Rose worked the vocal around to a call-and-response with the crowd. The impossibly fast-paced sprint “Night Train” ended the regular set.

The first encore, the low key ballad “Sorry” boasted one of Slash’s most nuanced solos. That lovely Slash take on “Melissa” led into “Patience,” which was actually a tender ballad with both guitarists on acoustic models, almost a folk song. “Madagascar” was also a more subtle number, a midtempo piece that seemed to be a vehicle for Rose’s most anguished vocal howls. The power ballad sing-along “Don’t You Cry Tonight” could have been a wistful blues, were it not ramped up to hard rock intensity. The Who’s nugget “The Seeker” was both pulverizing and invigorating, while the GNR chestnut “Paradise City” from their three-decade-old debut was just as intoxicating in 2017 as it was when it first appeared.